


Every Version of Me

by wanderinghorizon



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Mild Language, Time Travel, malink referenced in brief, time is twilight's father
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23171599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderinghorizon/pseuds/wanderinghorizon
Summary: On the one night Twilight happens to surrender patrol to someone else, something strange occurs. And it all seems to be centered around Time.
Relationships: Link/Malon (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 139





	Every Version of Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to a very dear friend of mine, my honorary son and forever the Twilight to my Time.
> 
> Also to the rest of my lovely Link fam, who encouraged me to post this. You know who you are. Love you all <3

The day started off as per usual for the group of nine Links: they woke up in different intervals at whatever camp they set up the night before, packed up, and got ready to keep moving. Pressing on seemed to be the only thing they could do at this point, their only hope of finding the next piece of the ever-complicated puzzle of the whole situation with Dark Link and his band of shadows working against them.

For once, Twilight surrendered patrol duty for the night to let himself get some much needed rest, but he never expected to see Time still awake when he opened his eyes and looked over. The man seemed to have a talent for conking right out once he let his tiredness overtake him, perhaps an odd side effect of having gone weeks on end without a wink of sleep before. In all honesty, Twilight was a bit envious, seeing as he had a tendency to continually wake up in the night, either because of a nightmare or just because his brain wouldn’t shut up. But he couldn’t deny that it was good. Anyone who had been through as much as Time was more than deserving of rest.

At the moment, Time was perched up on a low, sturdy branch, leaning against the trunk of the tree and just sort of absentmindedly looking around. Twilight knew that Time relied more on his sense of hearing and magic than he did his vision, so it was probably rather obvious to the older man when he stood up and walked over to the base of the tree.

“Let me take over.” Twilight spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the others sleeping nearby. Wind was practically right behind his feet. “Go get some rest.”

It seemed to take Time a moment to register Twilight’s words and react, but when he did, he looked down at the other and shook his head. A firm expression on his face, but just a hint of concern shining in his one good eye.

“It’s 5:14am. Too early.” Time matched Twilight’s quiet volume, but his voice was rough, scratchy almost. “Go back to sleep.”

Twilight’s eyes traveled to Time’s hands for a moment. Able to discern everything through the dark thanks to his heightened wolf senses, he could see the scars, well healed-over, on Time’s usually gloved hands. The faint outline of the triangular mark that faded long ago. More important, however, was the ocarina he held. The Triforce at its mouthpiece almost seemed to glow faintly in the night, but perhaps that was just the moonlight that spilled through whatever openings were left between the leaves of the tree.

“Da,” He spoke again, reaching up to place a hand on top of one of Time’s. “You’re more tired than I am. I know you haven’t been sleeping well the past few nights. I’ve seen it.”

And seen it he had. It was rather obvious when Time had trouble sleeping, since he typically fell still and snoring once he was sound asleep. The past few nights, as he mentioned, Time had been turning almost constantly and mumbling something to himself just as frequently. His loud snores, which usually pierced the night air, never came.

Time seemed to shift uncomfortably, which confirmed what Twilight already knew. The man was dreading going to sleep and trying to escape it for as long as he could, something Twilight also found himself guilty of often. Like father like son, he supposed.

“Alright then.” Twilight grabbed onto another low-hanging branch and pulled himself up to sit on it. He didn’t quite have the balance of Time when it came to such a thing, but he managed just fine. “We’ll be awake together. But don’t blame me if you find that you did your little passing out trick.”

A sharp puff of air escaped Time’s nose at that, implying that he found the comment at least somewhat amusing, but Twilight received no response otherwise. Not that it bothered him at all, the two of them could probably sit together for hours, not say a single word, and still know what the other was thinking. They proved just how similarly wired their brains were before when Time prompted Twilight to pick a number between 1 and 50 and Twilight, after fronting a complaint about the silly test, just so happened to guess 20, the exact number Time had in mind.

The early morning passed by fairly quickly, and Twilight was very surprised to see Time still awake when the sun rose. Neither of them had said anything for hours, and despite not minding the silence, Twilight could feel himself starting to fall back asleep as a result of it. It was nice, he supposed, being able to just sit around with his father in a tree while the other members of the group rested peacefully and safely.

Of course, his gaze traveled down to Wild on the regular, who he worried wouldn’t stay asleep without him by his side, but the cub seemed just as fast asleep as the others. As the sun began to illuminate the sky more and more, however, he noticed that something felt off.

His gaze snapped over to Time. He sat where he had been all night, but his eye, his head never moved. Twilight nudged him, hoping for a response. Nothing. Time even felt a bit cold under his touch.

Automatically fearing the worst, Twilight felt a scream rising in his throat, but he forced it back down with a hard swallow. Being up in the tree made things incredibly difficult, but he managed to lean over and check Time’s pulse without falling over. The man’s heartbeat wasn’t there, not on his neck, not on his wrist, not anywhere, and Twilight could feel panic flare up even more in his veins. Images of the Hero’s Shade came into mind, and the scream was on the edge of slipping out.

Suddenly, a little blue ball of light whizzed through the space between him and Time, and Twilight let out a yell as he fell backwards, landing on the ground with a loud “oof.” The light continued, then stopped. Then turned back around. And as it came closer, Twilight could discern a pair of wings attached to the blue ball. A fairy.

“Hey!” The fairy squeaked, clearly unamused by Twilight’s apparent clumsiness. “What’s the big idea? Are you trying to hurt yourself?”

A bit dumbfounded at the moment, Twilight slowly shook his head while he rubbed at the back of it, trying to relieve the pain that resulted from the blow of falling.

“Geez!” The fairy let out a sound almost like an exasperated sigh. “You’re just like–”

Her speech fell off as she looked at him, and he was quick to raise an eyebrow in confusion as she slowly flew in closer to him. Studying his face perhaps? It was a rather odd feeling to know that he was being judged by this little creature.

“Link?”

The fairy’s question caught him by surprise again, and he blinked several times trying to focus in on her. She was practically on top of his nose at this point, she was so close. But perhaps more surprising than her proximity was the tone of her voice. It sounded excited, apprehensive, almost… saddened?

“Link, you lazy bum!” The fairy flitted away quickly, flying in fast, annoyed circles. “Get up already! I know you wanted to explore, but now is not the time! We have to get back to the castle!”

Just as suddenly as the fairy appeared, the world seemed to shift, and Twilight scrambled to his feet. He could feel his panic only rising and rising, threatening to spill over and drown him at any second. The tree seemed to shrink before him, growing shorter and looking more youthful. Time was gone. The others too, most likely.

“Alright, alright!” A voice sounded behind him, and Twilight whipped around, both hands itching for weapons. “I know, Navi! But can’t we stay out here a little longer? It’s a beautiful day!”

Twilight’s hands fell to his sides as he watched a young man emerge from a group of dense bushes in between two trees, about where he last saw the Links curled up and sleeping. The man’s bright hair, pulled into a long ponytail that ran down his back, seemed to shine perfectly in the light dancing through the leaves. A helmet was tucked under his arm, matching the silver and gold armor he wore.

Twilight recognized him instantly. That height, that nose… That was his father, and Rusl’s somewhat crude drawings did the man’s younger self little justice.

But in that moment, he completely forgot that he was standing out in the open, right where Time could most definitely see him as well.

“What the–” Time’s eyes, both healthy, widened in a flash of a second with fear, and he quickly raised his sword. Twilight recognized it immediately as the Biggoron Sword. That would easily lob his head off for sure. “Who are you? How long have you been standing there?”

Realizing he was currently being threatened, Twilight practically jumped out of his skin and raised both of his hands in surrender. He knew Time wouldn’t hurt him, not right away, so he had at least a few seconds to appeal for his life. Yikes.

“Sorry, sorry!” Twilight's voice cracked a bit as he shouted, but he quickly cleared his throat before moving on, letting his voice fall to a lower, calmer register. “My name is– Light, and I was out traveling when I ended up here. I didn’t mean to frighten you, I’m just quite lost.”

Time’s sword lowered slowly, but his eyes never strayed from Twilight, watching and analyzing his every move. He was suddenly reminded of the gaze of the Hero’s Shade yet again, watching and waiting for him to try and make a move. Almost funny how he seemed to keep meeting different versions of his father, younger each time. Sadly more alive as well.

“You must not be from Hyrule proper.” The rather large blade was sheathed, and Time took a few steps forward. Twilight would have laughed at his father’s awkwardness in raising his hand to be shaken in probably any other situation. “Your accent– It sounds like a, uh, friend of mine’s.”

The fairy, seeming to grow more frustrated by the second, flew in and got right in Time’s face, just like she did to Twilight earlier.

“Hey! Hey! What did I tell you, huh?” She huffed, sending off little bits of light flying off of her as she sort of buzzed in annoyance. “We have to go! If you miss the start of your shift again, Impa’s gonna kick you out! Where are we supposed to live if we don’t have the barracks anymore?”

Time swatted at the fairy with a huff, annoyed but clearly not actually trying to hit her. Again, Twilight would probably be amused by all of this if he had any idea of what was going on or how he ended up here, clearly in the past. But it had to be a distorted past or something to that effect, Time spoke about his fairy companion leaving a few times, always with a very clear and heavy sadness.

“Alright! I get it! We’ll go!” Time sighed, putting his helmet back on. Then he turned to look at Twilight, and suddenly that gaze felt incredibly familiar. An image of the Hero’s Shade flashed in Twilight’s mind. That was going to be a common theme in all this, huh. “Sorry. I’ll get you to Castle Town, and there you can find a map to help get you home.”

Without another word, Time turned on his heel and started walking, most likely with the expectation that Twilight would follow him. Twilight was hesitant to do so, fearing that leaving the area would mean abandoning the other Links should he end up in the same place when he traveled to the future, but for now he had no choice. And so, he let Time and Navi lead him on.

–––

Castle Town was absolutely booming with activity when they got there. Everyone and their mother seemed to want to be out and enjoying the nice, possibly summer, weather. And it quickly became clear to Twilight as to why Time seemed adamant on remaining in the forest he eventually recognized as the one he and a few of the other Links first fell into. Way too many people.

“Alright.” Time suddenly stopped, and Twilight nearly ran straight into him. “Here we are. I have to go to the castle right away, but you should be able to find a map in one of the shops. Follow the crowds to get to the market.”

Once again, the man walked away without a word, always the stoic. Navi, the fairy, seemed to linger behind for a moment, noticing Twilight didn’t move right away. She glanced between Time and Twilight for a moment before finally zooming toward the latter.

“Hey! Link, wait!” She shouted, causing Time to pause midstep. “Shouldn’t we help him? If he doesn’t live around here, he’s just going to get lost again!”

“Aren’t you the one who insisted on getting to the castle?” Time raised an eyebrow as he turned slowly, and Twilight chuckled a bit at the sight of the familiar, almost teasing expression.

“Ugh! You are impossible sometimes!”

This time, it was Time who chuckled, and he walked right back over to where Twilight was standing. Off came his helmet, and his hair was perfectly messy when it was gone, as it always seemed to be. It was interesting to see him with long hair, much different from the sort of choppy, just above shoulder-length style he sported in the future. A good interesting, Twilight thought to himself, it suited him.

“C’mon,” Time stepped forward and placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. The touch was brief, but Twilight could feel his heart rate increase a bit. “Let’s duck out of traffic first.”

Twilight nodded, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding while Time was close. His eyebrows knitted together in thought while he let Time lead him off of the town’s main path, questioning why he was so nervous around Time. Perhaps it was because they were meeting all over again, and that meant receiving judgment from the older man again. He silently prayed said judgment would prove to be good. Getting on Time’s bad side wasn’t exactly on his “to-do” list. After all, he of all people knew just how sharp Time’s skills with a sword were, and he could only imagine they’d be greater while he was younger.

The atmosphere of the building they stepped into to be out of the way was… interesting to say the least. At least, it was an interesting choice for a place to make conversation. Over on the far wall sat a music player of some kind, blasting cheery, carnival-like music, and in front of it sat a layered sort of landscape. It must have been some sort of arcade, and Twilight could feel the owner’s eyes on them. Thankfully, there were people at the counter, most likely there to play whatever game the building hosted.

Time shed the pack he had slung over his shoulder, then started to dig around in it for a moment. A good bit of rattling could be heard, implying that the man had quite a bit stored in there. After a few moments, however, he drew out a piece of paper, somewhat worn-looking and folded up. The latter quality didn’t last long, as Time soon started to unfold it. A map, Twilight noticed once he saw the outline of different places.

“Can you tell me where you’re from?” Time turned the map around in his hands, revealing its contents to Twilight.

Navi zoomed to hover above Twilight’s shoulder, as if she was scouring the map alongside him. His actions gave off the impression that he was simply searching for wherever he called home, but in all reality he was just studying the map. A glimpse at what Time’s world was like. The area of the world where Ordon existed to the south didn’t seem to be listed on the map yet. Perhaps it hadn’t yet been discovered, or the goddesses shifted the world between Time’s era and his.

“To the south.” He pointed, his finger landing in the uncharted space to the south and beside the forest. He was painfully aware of how suspicious that would be, but he couldn’t lie. Not to Time. “A village called Ordon.” Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. An excuse of sorts. “It’s so small I’m not surprised it’s not on your map.”

Time turned the map back around with a puzzled eyebrow raised. Confusion wasn’t quite obvious on his face, but Twilight knew him well enough at this point to be able to pick up the subtle changes in his expression. Not surprising he kept his thoughts and emotions under wraps most of the time even in the past. Sort of a bad habit he must have inherited.

Suddenly, Time’s eyes snapped up, and Twilight almost jumped back. Having one of those eyes, piercing and all-knowing at times, staring at him was bad enough, but two? It was so intimidating he thought his heart might crawl right out of his chest. And it certainly didn’t help that in moments like these, Time’s face became unreadable, so there was no way of knowing what he was thinking.

“I said,” Time’s voice dropped, both in volume and tone. “Where are you from?” His presence suddenly felt like it was looming over Twilight, a stark contrast with the bouncy music in the background.

He knew. Of course he knew. It was inevitable.

Twilight swallowed hard, then adjusted his stance to stand up firmer. As intimidating as Time was, he knew in truth the man wouldn’t do anything to harm him, not without a reason and not in front of the other people in the building. On top of that, he knew he would come across as weak if he stood down, which would only cause him to lose Time’s respect.

“Not sure exactly, but– The future.” He spoke firmly, but his voice wasn’t low and threatening like Time’s. Plain and honest. “My real name is Link, and I was granted the power of the Triforce of Courage to aid me in saving the Hyrule of my time.”

Time opened his mouth to speak, but Twilight continued before he could say anything. “Several months ago, I was pulled into the past by dark forces. Others who possess the spirit of the hero appointed by Hylia were as well, and we have been traveling together. Including you. Time.”

That last word seemed to resonate with Time, who backed away from Twilight blinking rapidly in an apparent attempt to process what he was just told. Twilight couldn’t tell if it was because he remembered being called that or simply because that was his title at one point. But either way, the man’s demeanor quickly softened, shifting from harsh coldness to some form of concern. Clear recognition of the sort of dilemma Twilight was trapped in.

“So you got sucked back further?” Navi interrupted the silence that fell between the two of them, moving to land on Time’s shoulder. “And ended up here?”

Twilight nodded with a brief, affirmative hum, then glanced around to see if they had drawn the attention of any of the other people. Still distracted thankfully, he felt he stuck out enough as is.

Without a word, Time latched onto Twilight’s hand and started to pull him, toward the doorway and back out into the bustling crowd of people. Twilight let out a noise of mixed surprise and protest, but quickly moved his feet to keep himself from being dragged. Once he matched Time’s pace, his hand was freed.

“Where–”

Twilight’s words are once again cut off by Time, who had pulled his ocarina out of the pouch that always seemed to have on his hip, even in the past apparently. More specifically, the string of notes that escape the small, blue instrument stole his attention. Three notes, starting high and falling. Epona’s Song.

Hooves could be heard clattering fast against the cobblestone pathway running through the town, and startled shrieks didn’t fall far behind as people dove out of the way of the creator of the noise. A beautiful, chestnut horse came straight toward Time and Twilight, the latter of whom immediately stepped back to give the mare some space. Once she stopped, she nosed at Time’s cheek, but her eyes seemed to be locked on Twilight the entire time.

Time ran a hand lovingly along the horse’s muzzle, whispering something softly to her. What with his heightened sense of hearing, Twilight could have easily listened in, but he focused on something else for the moment, letting his father have this moment to calm his horse down a bit. As much as animals had a tendency to be instantly enamored with him, if she was anything like his Epona, she’d be picky about who got to be around her. Perhaps even more so, he’d heard Time talk about how stubborn Epona was on several occasions. All out of clear love though.

“Oi!” Time’s voice snapped Twilight from his thoughts, and when he looked back over to him, he found the man settled on Epona’s back. “C’mon! We don’t have all day.”

“Right.” Twilight nodded, approaching Epona and easily climbing onto her back. It was a little funny, he supposed, how closely he listened to Time and treated him like his leader even though they were separated from the group.

Epona trotted through the town without a problem. Clearly, this was an environment she was well used to, as she knew the path without needing strict guidance from Time. However, they unexpectedly started slowing down. Getting slower and slower until finally, they just stopped.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. What happened to “we don’t have all day?” He looked to Time for an answer, but no such thing came. Instead, the man’s gaze seemed to wander off. Well, not wander per se. It wandered from the path ahead, but it was focused on something else. Twilight turned his head to see if he could discern whatever had stolen his attention.

Not far off to their right, in the middle of one of the open market stalls, stood a young woman with brilliantly red hair, tied back with her yellow scarf at the moment to keep her cool while she was doing her work. At the moment, she was unloading what looked to be milk bottles from a couple of crates she had at her feet, and she chatted away with who Twilight could only assume was the owner of that particular market stall. Seeming to notice the pair’s eyes on her, she looked up and over. Twilight could feel Time shift in front of him as the woman flashed a bright smile. When she made eye contact with Twilight for a moment, her expression shifted into some sort of confusion and curiosity, but the vendor stole her attention away before the word “who” could form in her mouth.

“Who is that?” He questioned, shifting to look forward. Time was still watching the woman, and Twilight could see the slight blush and dopey grin on his face like it was being blatantly pointed out to him.

“No–” Time’s voice squeaked a bit, and he loudly cleared his throat before moving on. “No one. Just a good friend of mine.”

A good friend, eh? Twilight pursed his lips tightly together to hold back from bursting out into loud laughter. A good friend!

“Mm.” Twilight hummed and nodded instead, as if simply accepting what Time said as the truth. If Time turned even a little bit though, he would immediately see the huge grin on the other’s face. His father and mother weren’t married yet, but clearly there were some feelings going on at the very least.

“A good friend?!” Twilight blinked in surprise as Navi flew up from inside one of the pouches at Time’s hip. He had completely forgotten she was there. “Seriously? You’ve been making googly eyes at Malon for at least a year now!”

The blush on Time’s face increased, and Twilight had to actually raise a hand to his mouth to keep from laughing this time. A sort of snort-esque puff of air came through his nose, but it thankfully appeared to be not quite enough to draw Time’s attention. And undoubtedly earn him one of the signature looks of disapproval and unamusement. Hell, even as the Hero’s Shade, Twilight could see that expression in the man’s face.

Looking at Time from behind, he started noticing the differences in the details of his armor. What he was wearing now– well, in the past– was a lot more similar to that which the Hero’s Shade wore. Big and bulky, but still ornate and beautiful. It was interesting to see it in its original glory, without the twisting vines and clear signs of wearing and even decay in places. He started to ponder why or how Time’s armor had changed from what he currently saw, and the realization of the most likely reason immediately made his heart sink.

The Fierce Deity. The thing that took over Time’s body like a parasite, as the man said so himself. He knew what it looked like from Time’s drawings, though they were typically dark, twisted images that came straight from what could easily be nightmares. Nightmares he was surprised Time didn’t have. Or at least didn’t speak of.

“What’s the matter, Light?” Time’s fairy companion once again snapped him out of his thoughts. It was a bit odd to be addressed by the short nickname, but he figured “Twilight” would somehow sound suspicious.

“Nothing, nothing.” He waved her concerns off with his hand. “Just thinking about something.”

Navi seemed to recognize that as the end of the conversation, as she soon flitted into one of Time’s pouches. A bit surprising, considering how stubborn she appeared to be at times, but then again, she did have to put up with Time, who could quite honestly go for days on end without saying a word if he didn’t have to. He could only imagine how much more often the man was guilty of doing so what with the lack of need to look after eight other people.

–––

The open air of Hyrule Field was a very welcome sensation after the hustle and bustle of Castle Town. Granted, this particular part of the field he knew as pretty expansive was a tad busy due to travelers and traders going in and out, but at least the people weren’t concentrated. That, he could handle.

Not having to guide Epona was certainly an interesting experience, and he found himself itching to take the reins more than once despite Time’s expertise, but he eventually resolved to take the opportunity to look around. Time’s Hyrule was very familiar, what with Lon Lon Ranch essentially being their home base. But this was different. This was Time’s Hyrule at true peace. Before the portal fiascos, before… whatever happened to cost Time his right eye and his independence from the Fierce Deity. The peace was almost tangible in the air, yet Time was carrying himself with urgency. Almost as if he was ready, or even waiting, for some sort of crisis that needed to be resolved.

They rode on for longer than Twilight expected. He expected them to stop at the ranch, where they could find some hidden spot behind the barn or something, but then again, Time didn’t live there. According to Navi, if he remembered correctly, Time lived in some sort of barracks presumably at or near Hyrule Castle.

Epona stopped before a grove of trees that lined up and seemed to form a path with the gaps between them, though said path wasn’t clearly laid out in dirt as the others in Hyrule Field were. Time hopped off the horse’s back and looked toward the trees with a sad expression Twilight could sense even from behind him. Twilight followed suit, giving Epona’s side a quick pat to thank her for being willing to carry him as well as Time. She let out a soft nicker as if to acknowledge the gesture, and the action brought a smile to his face.

Time clicked his tongue in a sort rhythm, and Epona walked over to his side as he began to walk, turning away from the grove of trees and heading somewhere off to the left. Not entirely sure of what was going on, Twilight followed suit. But before he completely caught up with Time and his horse, he let his feet freeze in front of the trees.

The air smelled different here, and as he stared down the barely existent and overgrown path, he felt a breeze pick up and gently toss about his hair. Suddenly, he felt overcome with nostalgia, but it oddly didn’t quite feel like it belonged to him. As if he was listening to someone tell a story about their past that they were fond of.

Not too far from the grove, the entrance of a small cave came into view, blocked off by what looked like a sort of makeshift door fashioned out of branches, vines, and leaves. Time grabbed the “door” and set it aside before gesturing for Twilight to go inside. Now that he could see how small the hole actually was, Twilight let out a sort of forced awkward laugh.

He was about to tell Time he couldn’t fit in the small cave when Navi darted out into view and zoomed in, illuminating the space with her soft, blue light. Swallowing his doubt, Twilight stooped down to his hands and knees, ready to crawl in as he used to when he used the old shortcut to the healing spring in Ordon. Admittedly a bit of overkill, since the opening was maybe half a foot above his back, but he found Time doing the same behind him.

Inside was unexpectedly nice. It was nice and dry, warm, and the latter quality increased when Time used a tiny bit of his magic to light a torch Twilight didn’t notice on the wall. Makeshift, like all of the other things the cave contained. There was what looked like a bed in the corner, fashioned out of many piles of leaves and straw, an old slingshot…

What caught Twilight’s attention more than anything was the drawings lining the walls and even the lower bits of ceiling. Not carved, but maybe created by some sort of soft rock. Each depicted specific scenes whose order you could only recognize if you found the hidden movement in the drawings. It was honestly pretty clever, seeming to result from a natural organization rather than something planned.

“What is this place?” He found himself thinking out loud, something he immediately regretted, especially when Time looked away from him.

“Heh.” Time let out a sort of forced, brief laugh after letting silence pass between them for several moments. “Guess you could call this an old hideout of mine.”

His eyes– his _two_ eyes, still so foreign to Twilight– turned upwards to look over the drawings as well. There was a certain light in them, not just the reflection of the flame but recognition of some kind. Memories perhaps? It did remind Twilight a bit of when Wild would suddenly stop and let out a soft gasp before freezing and staring off for what could be anywhere from a few seconds to even hours. From what he knew, Time always drew whatever he was thinking about, so things of his past wouldn’t surprise him.

“Did you draw all of that?” Twilight voiced the question he already knew the answer to, rolling his shoulders to relieve some of the tension he caught himself carrying there.

Time nodded with a quiet, affirmative hum. A response that indicated he wouldn’t be giving much more information, if any, past that. And while that response frustrated some of the other Links at times, Twilight didn’t mind at all. He got the information he asked for, and the subtle shifts in Time’s expression and energy was more than enough for him to figure out anything else the man had to say through silence.

Navi’s light brightened the room a bit as she flew from wherever on Time’s person she had hidden. With a tiny, twinkle-like noise, she settled on one of Twilight’s folded legs. For a few moments, the two of them seemed to look at and study each other, both wondering the other’s story and, quite honestly, how the other was there anyway. Mimicking a gesture he had seen Time do when interacting with some of the fairies in the healing springs of his Hyrule, he gently outstretched a hand. Navi looked at his fingers for a moment, then hopped over to rub against him, reminiscent of a cat.

“You know, Light,” Navi started, giving Twilight one more affectionate nuzzle before settling on his leg again. “You and Link feel very similar.”

“Is that so?” Twilight felt himself grow a bit nervous at that, fearing that the fairy somehow saw right through him and would reveal the fact that he was Time’s son.

“Well, yeah!” Navi’s wings flittered. “And not just cuz of that thing you mentioned earlier about the Triforce bearers. You act kinda similar, even with small things! Your silent thinking, for one.”

Twilight smiled despite himself, feeling his heart flourish at that. Time had always inspired him, from Rusl’s tales of knighthood alongside his father to the training of the Hero’s Shade to his leadership in the often chaotic group of Links. To hear himself being compared to someone he held in such high esteem? No matter how many times it had happened before, it always warmed his heart, even if he didn’t feel particularly worthy of compliments most of the time.

Beside him, Time laughed heartily, even throwing his head back a bit. It was rather unexpected, and both Navi and Twilight jumped in almost perfect unison. Which only drew more laughter from Time, who ended up coughing a few times and needing to catch his breath.

“Hey!” Navi huffed, and Twilight could sense the sassiness in her pose despite the fact that it wasn’t actually discernible. “What’re you laughing at?”

In the short time he had spent around her and Time, he was already getting to know her well enough to detect how she emoted. Time’s descriptions of her helped, he supposed, but it could also be attributed to how empathetic he was. Which, notably, could get rather annoying and taxing at times. He could recall several times within the past week alone where he was woken up by the thoughts he could sense– that he could _hear,_ even– from the other Links, almost always full of turmoil. The sort of things they left unsaid and kept to themselves. Time was a frequent offender, but he didn’t want to make the man feel guilty for something he had no control over.

Time waved his hand dismissively, getting out a few last giggles. Laughter seemed to come easier to him like this, in the past. “Nothing, nothing! Just– I thought that drove you nuts!”

“Well, it does!” Navi flew off of Twilight’s lap to hover closer to Time. “I think you’ve gone a whole week without saying a word before! I was just using that as an example of what I’ve seen you two have in common!”

Twilight laughed behind his hand as the little argument between Time and his fairy companion persisted. A display of Time’s more childish side as well as their strong bond. As if Time had regained some of the innocence he had been stripped of.

Time reached out a finger and gently poked Navi, drawing a few, tiny giggles from her. In retaliation, she flew up from Twilight’s lap and began to nuzzle at Time’s neck. Twilight knew how ticklish the man was, despite the fact that Time would never readily admit it, but the hearty laughter that filled the cave still brought a smile to his face. In fact, he felt himself laughing along not long after. It felt good to laugh in spite of the worry looming over him. He admittedly put the thought of getting back to the other Links on the back burner, and thinking about it brought him back down to a serious, maybe even solemn, demeanor.

“Why did you bring me here?” He shifted his position to fold his legs, ruffling some of the leaves of the little “bed” in the process.

Time unexpectedly seemed perplexed by that for a moment, as if he didn’t know the answer himself. “Well– We needed somewhere to talk in private, and I presume something dark is behind your appearance here. This is the safest place I could think of in what little time I thought about where to go.”

Twilight hummed quietly in thought, watching Time absentmindedly fiddle with his hair and put small braids into it. He had nearly forgotten how long Time’s hair was at the moment, though he couldn’t quite know its true length, since the man had it secured in a ponytail. Not all too dissimilar from Wild’s hair, now that he thought about it, though Time’s was a lighter color and seemed more kept than the cub’s.

“Smart.” Was all he found himself saying. It didn’t entirely match what he was thinking, but it was essentially what he had to say. Straight to the point, that was fine.

“Mm.” Time hummed, nodding and suddenly searching his person for something. Eventually, he had to get up and dig through the packs on Epona’s saddle.

When he returned, Twilight immediately recognized the book in his hands. Small, green, with a ribbon between the pages and worn covers. Naturally, it wasn’t quite as stuffed with random notes and papers as it was in the future, but there was no mistaking it. Time’s journal.

The man seemed entirely focused for a few minutes, scribbling down something. It wouldn’t bother Twilight a bit… if Time would stop glancing up at him over and over again. What did he do? Did he even do something? It was impossible to tell, which only made him more anxious.

“Light.” Time’s voice made Twilight jump, and his gaze snapped back into focus. Time was displaying the pages of his journal, onto which he had drawn a dark figure discernible through the scribbles. “Does this look familiar?”

Twilight nodded, and Time continued. “Lately in my dreams, I– I’ve been seeing these odd visions. Dark Link… a shadow of myself… He’s always there.”

Twilight watched Time intently as he spoke, nodding along the entire time. It wasn’t unusual for the two of them to discuss their dreams. In fact, it was a pretty common topic of conversation for them, since they felt comfortable enough to share such things with each other. But this was different. Yes, there was the obvious difference of it being the past, but– Time felt closed off. Reluctant to share. Twilight couldn’t blame him, really. They were practically strangers in this circumstance.

“It’s alright.” Twilight raised a hand and smiled softly, gently cutting off the turmoil of thought he could see in the others’ mind. “I know what you mean. And it makes sense, to some extent. Dark is the only lead we have on whatever is going on. That is– the other Links and I. Perhaps your dreams were predicting that in the future. Or even just my arrival here.”

“Hm.” Time nodded, tucking a loose page back into his journal before shutting it with a soft thud. “Maybe.” That particular page looked as though it had been rescued from water, since the paper was wrinkled and wavy.

“Well, regardless. Sometimes dreams are just plain weird.” Twilight fiddles with one of his gloves for a moment, tugging it further up his arm again. “Can’t tell how you many times I’ve dreamt about flying bacon or some shit like that.”

Time blinked in what was most likely surprise for a moment, then started to laugh. In fact, what Twilight said seemed to tickle him so much, he laughed heartily for a solid minute or so, and Twilight couldn’t help but join in. Navi added to the chorus with a few giggles of her own.

“Since you’re, uh, taking the day off, and the weather is nice…” Twilight rose from the floor of the cave and extended a hand to help Time stand as well. “Would you like to go on a walk? Just explore around with no real purpose in mind? Maybe go fishing, or– Talk more about dreams?”

“Yeah.” Time smiled a bit. “I would like that.”


End file.
